MatchMakers
by rainbowsandbutterflies888
Summary: A BestFriends!AU. Marinette and Adrien are best friends when (surprise, surprise!) Adrien discovers that no one in their class is together, not to mention the new threat of a secret society. Together, the two attempt to pair their whole class together, stop the Akuma cult from wreaking havoc in the city of Paris, and maybe find some love of their own on the way. Rated T for safety.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I am Miraculous trash. Believe it.**

* * *

prologue

"Marinette, don't ignore me~"

"Adrien, stop."

"Noo~" The blonde-haired boy attempted vainly to reach out towards her. "I just realized something-!"

Marinette sighed, turning from her designs to face him. "What is it, kitty?"

The blonde pouted. "I just realized that no one in our class is together!"

" _How did you even think of this?_ "

"Well, you know how Ms. Bustier recently got a new baby niece? So I was thinking about what the second generation children would look like. Then I wondered, why can't I picture it? After that, I realized that the reason I couldn't think of anything was because I didn't have any real-life couples to work with, which made me realize that no one is together. Mariiiii! I mean, it's like one of my favorite anime shows. Have you ever heard of-"

Marinette facepalmed. "Adrien, _why is that important?_ And _why the heck are you talking about anime, you crazy otaku?_ "

"It just is, okay!"

Mari groaned. "Adrien, how many shippy filler episodes of Naruto did you watch last night?" _You freaky fanboy..._

Adrien grinned. "Aw, come on, Mari, I am not that much of an otaku! Plus, we all know you've been vouching for Alya and Nino to _finally_ start dating. And I only watched five, thank you very much."

Marinette's lips quirked upwards before she could stop herself. "N-no!"

Adrien laughed. "Ha! Gotcha!" She pouted. "Grr…"

He turned serious again. "But in all seriousness, don't you find it strange that no one in our class has gotten together yet? I mean, it's a completely even class, everyone should be evenly matched. Look at Nino and Alya, they're clearly smitten with each other. Plus, Ivan and Mylene totally like each other. Even freakin' Alix and Kim are crushing on each other! Ugh, the romantic tension at school is driving me INSANE!" To further illustrate his point, Adrien staggered around the room before dropping dramatically on Marinette's bed.

Marinette laughed. "Ah, I guess you're right. The atmosphere at school is a bit suffocating."

Adrien spread his arms wide. "Right? We gotta get them all together! You and me," he continued, stars in his eyes. "We'd be the perfect team! You with your super-luck and amazing organization-" "Adrien, it's not _super luck_ , what kind of term is-" "and me with my amazing matchmaking skills!"

"You do not have amazing matchmaking skills." Marinette deadpanned.

"Oh yes I do!" Adrien gestured to their two cats frolicking on the other side of the room. "See, I got Tikki and Plagg together!"

As if on cue, the two cats pawed over, each landing in their respective owner's lap. Marinette laughed as Tikki, a red tortoiseshell kit, snuggled against her sweater. She turned back to Adrien, who was busy with Plagg. "That's a lie and you know it. You know they were already together even before we found them. Besides, what if we don't succeed? It'd be even more awkward afterwards."

Adrien's very mature response was to stick out his tongue and pout. "Fine. Forget I said anything."

He looked so forlorn that Marinette finally caved. "Fine, fine. We can do the matchmaking thing. Just stop looking at me like that, okay?"

Adrien immediately jumped up, suddenly full of energy. "We can? Aww, thanks Mari!" He bounded over to the girl and hugged her tightly. "This is gonna be the best! Monday is gonna be so amazing!"

"Well, that's the first time I've ever seen anyone excited for a Monday," Marinette said, trying to ignore the warmth blossoming on her cheeks.

Adrien leaned back. "I've got the perfect idea for a chart already!"

A piece of chart paper immediately appeared out of thin air. "Alright, let's see…"

(Meanwhile, Marinette was confused as to _how_ and _why_ Adrien had _chart paper_ seemingly hidden in his pocket.)

Within a few minutes, a full-fledged chart of all the students in the class was imprinted on the paper. Arrows streaked through, showing who was paired with who. "We'd better give them code names so that we can be inconspicuous."

Marinette brightened. "Oh, like Alya can be something like Lady Wifi, and Nino can be the Bubbler! You know, 'cause he likes bubbles so much-Adrien?"

"SHIP NAMES!" Adrien yelled loudly. Marinette stared at him, partially in amusement and partially in confusion. "ALYA AND NINO CAN BE DJWIFI!"

At that, Marinette stared at him in confusion. "But isn't he called the Bubbler?"

Adrien frowned. "Yeah, but...Calling Nino DJ would be a bit too obvious. But let's face it. WifiBubble? So not catchy."

"And I'm betting you know that, Mr. I-Am-Addicted-To-Anime."

Adrien childishly pouted. "Meanie…"

"Am I right, or am I right?"

"Fine, I'm addicted to anime. Happy?"

Marinette's grin lit up her face, causing Adrien's heart to skip a beat. "Happy."

Another idea flashed in his mind. "Hey, we should have code names too! Like secret agents! Secret love agents!"

"I call Ladybug!" Marinette blurted before Adrien could even blink. Adrien laughed. "Then I'll be...Chat Noir!" Adrien said, coming to the idea upon seeing his black cat. "It's an honor to work with you, m'lady."

Marinette nearly blushed before catching the pun. She wrinkled her nose at him. "That was a _terrible_ pun, kitty."

Adrien gasped. "See! My name is…" Marinette glared at him. "Don't. You. Dare." "... _purr-fect._ " Marinette let out a loud groan. "Ugh…"

A thought nagged at her in the back of her head. _Who are you and I paired with, chaton?_

* * *

 **A/N: I'm actually genuinely excited to do this, lolol**

 **HI! I'M BACK! AFTER A YEAR OF DISAPPEARING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH!**

 **Yeah, yeah, I have no excuse, blah blah blah. Whatever. I'm here now, making stories, and that's what matters...right?**

 **I've missed FanFiction very much. So I'm back.**

 **((Also I have this really bad habit of starting stories and then never finishing them. Young children, that is called procrastination.))**

 **Welp, hope you like!**

 **Yours in demigodishness,**

 **RainbowsandButterflies888**

 **PS: I have an Amino! Check me out! My username is raibo888**

 **EDIT: Oh my god. I am so sorry guys. That other story was a work in progress. For all you people who loved the story I replaced, I'm sorry. It will be out soon, but it wasn't meant to be out now.**


	2. Mission 1: Alya and Nino

**A/N: Hi, I'm alive and with a new chapter under my belt! I know, it took like a month for this piece of crap but welp**

 **If you haven't already, please read my profile. There's some new info at the top that you should read before reviewing.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Week One  
**

Marinette's House, 7:00 PM, Sunday

"This is our first mission? _Too easy._ "

Adrien agreed. "Do you know how much torture it is to see Nino mooning over her every single freaking day?"

Marinette groaned. "And Alya is still in the denial stage. Ugh, they make me sick. We need them together so I don't barf all over my homework."

"Bugaboo, I don't think that's gonna help you…"

Marinette stared at him incredulously, her nose wrinkling. "... _Bugaboo?_ "

Adrien shrugged. "Well, yeah! You're Ladybug, so bugaboo makes sense!"

Marinette reached over to pat his head. "You are such a dork, kitty."

"Well, what are we waiting for? C'mon, let's start!" Adrien whipped out a set of high-tech walkie talkies and a large pile of other high-quality, expensive spy gear. "Adrien, how did you…"

He laughed. "Thank God for rich parents, y'know?" _Even if they're never around…_

"Right!" Marinette clapped her hands in an effort to dispel the sudden tension. "Let's get started."

Collège Françoise-Dupont, 7:30 AM, Monday

"Nino spotted outside the door. He seems to be waiting for someone. Commence action? Over."

"Chat, why are you talking like that?"

"...What? I thought it'd be cool."

Marinette groaned audibly over the speaker. "No, it really isn't."

Adrien paused, and Marinette was sure he was pouting. "Fine, I guess I won't...for now!"

Marinette slapped her forehead, before noticing Alya nearing the door. "Wait, I see her. We should probably arrive there as well, I don't wanna be late again."

"How are you always late? You live right next to the school."

"...whatever. C'mon, let's just get to them already."

Trying to act normal, Marinette casually strolled over to Alya. "Alya! Hey!"

The brunette turned to her. "Hey, girl! Wow, you're actually not late for once!"

Marinette glared at her. "Ha ha, very funny." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adrien beckoning her over. She quickly pushed Alya over to the school doorway. "C'mon! If you said I wouldn't be late, you shouldn't either."

They ran into Adrien and Nino, who were _coincidentally_ loitering by the door. Upon seeing Alya, Nino brightened considerably and blushed slightly. Marinette winked at Adrien, who nodded. "Ohhhh, whoops! I forgot! I have a project with Mari that's due today! We need to go to Ms. Bustier _right now_! See you later!" With that, Adrien grabbed Marinette's arm and pulled her away, leaving Alya and Nino blushing at each other.

Marinette squealed quietly as they turned a corner. "Oh my god, they're so cute!"

Adrien turned to her in full fanboy mode. "I know, right! Things are going so well! They'll totally be together by the end of the day!"

"You have your earpiece on?"

Adrien turned his head, displaying the small black device near his ear. "Yep. Just to be clear though, I can only really hear your voice. If Alya says anything, you're going to have to repeat it if you want me to hear."

"This is mostly for whispering, right? You sit in front of me, you should be able to hear some of it without a mic."

Adrien nodded. "Yep, now let's get going, it's nearly homeroom."

Ms. Bustier's Room, 11:00 AM, Monday

Adrien and Marinette sighed, dejected.

"Did I miss something, or did you guys really not discuss the exchange at all?" Adrien murmured.

Mari groaned. "I tried, but she wouldn't stop changing the subject…"

Adrien laughed tiredly. "And whenever I tried to mention it to Nino, he would blush and be reduced to incoherent babbling."

"So all we've figured out from this morning is that Alya is so stubborn it's stupid and Nino is too cowardly to ask Alya out." Marinette said exasperatedly.

Adrien groaned in response.

"...Should we try lunch? My mom makes the best spaghetti."

Adrien nodded, slowly regaining his energy. "Yeah, that'd...actually be a great idea! Lady and the Tramp style!"

"Aww, that'd be so sweet! We would, like, leave them alone while they eat each other's faces, it'd be so romantic!"

Adrien stared at her, an exasperated smirk on his face. "Eat each other's faces? Marinette, _seriously_? How juvenile can you get?" he giggled.

Marinette glared at him. "Shut it, kit-kat. I can say whatever I want."

"Kit-kat?"

"..." The glare Marinette sent him was enough to make him panic.

"Alright, alright," Adrien backed up, resigned. "You win. Now are we gonna execute this plan or what?"

Marinette smirked. "Thought you'd never ask."

Adrien's House, 4:00 PM, Monday

"UGHHHH."

"Dammit…" Marinette groaned, holding her head in her hands. "That didn't work out at all."

"How were we supposed to know that Nino would be such a messy eater? Heck, I don't even think his _mom_ would try to even go near him, he looked so gross."

Marinette shook her head sadly. "Poor Alya."

They met each other's eyes, resolution crossing their faces. "They'd better do something interesting tomorrow. Seriously. I swear to God, they're gonna do something stupid and we won't be able to help them."

Adrien nodded. "Umm…" he said, trying to be positive. "Well, my mum always said 'If Plan A doesn't work, there's still 25 more letters in the alphabet'..."

His eyes flashed with sadness before returning to their usual cheerful state. "So come on, let's plan this! We'll get them together by the end of the week, I know it!"

Marinette smiled, encouraged by his enthusiasm. "Yeah…! Let's do this!"

Together, the two teens planned through the night, waiting for their plans to execute flawlessly.

Marinette's House, 7:30 AM, Friday.

Marinette slumped over her chocolate croissant. It was already Friday, and Alya and Nino hadn't even gotten close yet.

The bell rang outside in the shop, and she rose from her seat tiredly to meet Adrien at the door. "Ready?"

Marinette groaned frustratedly. "Yeah...Ugh! They are so stupid it hurts to look at them! It's been a week, Adrien, is this really gonna work out? Maybe they're just not meant to be."

Adrien grabbed her shoulders. "Mari! We can't think like that! We can't give up on them! That's not what we're all about!"

Mari sighed. "Well, yeah, I know, but still...Ugh, can I just lock them in a cage or something? That's probably the only way we'd ever be able to get them together."

Adrien laughed. "Sorry buginette, but I'm pretty sure that's illegal. Although, I could probably arrange something with them in the zoo…?"

"Kitty, we're not locking them with the lions."

Adrien blanched. "No way! No, we just get them together at the zoo! Wh-why would I do that?!"

Mari sighed. "Alright, we'll try the zoo. But if nothing happens, we should give up. It isn't right to force two people together, even if…" Her sigh is audible, and her voice is starting to waver, "... _they're so freaking adorable can they just get together already please._ "

Adrien laughs. That's more like the Marinette he lo- _likes. Stop it, Agreste._

The Paris Zoo, 10:00 AM, Saturday

"Marinette! It's too early for this, it's a Saturday…"

Marinette grinned as she tugged her friend along. "Nonsense, Alya! It's a fine day and what better than to spend it with your best friends?" Her ladybug-patterned dress, one that she made herself, fluttered in the breeze. Red ribbons tied her hair into her signature pigtails. To be honest, she was just as excited to see Adrien than to get her friends together.

"...True, true."

They neared the entrance, where they met with a waving Adrien and Nino, who was clutching four tickets. Marinette's heart fluttered when she realized Adrien was wearing the cat sweatshirt that she had sewn for him.

"Yo, dudes, I got the tickets! Here-" He dropped the tickets into Marinette's and Adrien's palms, before handing one to Alya. Adrien and Marinette tried to stifle their giggles when Nino accidentally brushed Alya's hand and turned bright red.

Alya grinned at him, causing his heart to palpitate further. "Thanks!"

Marinette grinned at their adorableness before grabbing Alya's and Adrien's arms. "C'mon guys, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

With that, Marinette dragged her friends, giggling, through the park.

-o-

Marinette sighed. Things were going...great, honestly. Alya and Nino were talking a lot, which was always a good sign. At one point, Alya had even flirted with him, judging from his bright red cheeks after the conversation.

The four friends were giggling over ice cream when they heard a scream emitting from somewhere in the park. Marinette stood up, her body instantly in surveying-mode. "What do you think's going on?"

Alya and Nino, still heartily enjoying their ice cream, shrugged. But Adrien stood up quickly as well. "We'd better go check it out."

Nino looked worried. "Aw, come on, Mari, do you have to run off whenever there's trouble? Honestly, does it matter?"

Marinette glared at him. "Yes, it does. Innocent people could be getting hurt!"

Alya gave her a pleading look, which made Marinette soften. "What Nino's _trying_ to say is that it's really dangerous to just dance out into the scene when we don't even know what's happening. They might have a _gun_ , Mari. We don't want you to be hurt."

Marinette sighed. "I know, I know. But both Adrien and I have gotten self-defense training from my dad. You know that. Besides, I have some of his old police gear, see?"

She tugged on her bag, revealing a couple pairs of brass knuckles.

Alya stared. "So that's why you've always been lugging around that bag."

Marinette grinned slightly, before turning back to the source of the scream. "C'mon Adrien, let's see what's happened."

Alya quickly stood up, pulling Nino up with her. "Wait! Girl, you know we're coming along. This is perfect for my new blog!"

The bluenette signed. "Fine, but stay back. You and Nino don't have any training, and God knows what's happened."

With that, the four teens ran to the scene.

When they got there, all they could see was a cloud of dust. "Stay back," Marinette warned. Alya and Nino backed up a bit, the former excitedly blabbering to her camera, while Adrien fished a couple of bandanas from his pocket. He tied one around his mouth and nose before handing Marinette one. "So we can breathe" was his explanation.

Alya finally finished her (way too enthusiastic) monologue and swung the camera around to face the others. "Alright, so how are you doing this?"

Marinette grimaced under her "mask". "We're just gonna go in and check out what's happened. If you hear anything...er, crazy, _run_. Alya, your life comes before your blog, okay?"

Alya nodded reluctantly. "Fine…"

With that, Marinette and Adrien darted into the dusty cloud, strapping on their brass knuckles.

-o-

Once the two got deeper into the dust cloud, the debris cleared slightly, revealing two figures shrouded in dust. Slowly, the cloud cleared to reveal two older teens, one leaning on a motorcycle. Their shirts seemed to be spray-painted with a purple butterfly.

 _So that's what caused all of this dust…_

They swallowed, noticing the unconscious bodies on the ground. Adrien reached over to grip Marinette's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Before you ask, no, they aren't dead."

The one leaning on the motorcycle straightened, and both younger teens tensed at the sound of his voice.

"What did you do to them?"

Adrien's voice was low and deadly quiet. Fury was starting to collect from the bottom of his stomach and spread through his body.

The other one laughed and pulled a sheet of seemingly white fabric out of his pocket.

" _Chloroform,_ " Marinette whispered under her breath, growing paler by the second.

"We are part of the great Akuma, and we have come to liberate everyone from this cruel modern society. Join us and you will have all of your heart's desires."

Marinette and Adrien backed up. "N-no, we won't let you do this!" Her voice wavered, and Adrien suddenly realized how truly terrified she was.

The two sneered. "What's making you stop us?" One pulled a club from behind him and the other pulled out a long, metal pipe. Adrien's eyes widened. Suddenly, the situation seemed much more dangerous.

They took a step forwards, and Marinette opened her mouth. Surprisingly, all that came out was a resounding "SCATTER!"

With that, she and Adrien ran.

-o-

As soon as they burst out of the dust cloud that was quickly dissipating from their motion, they ran smack into Alya and Nino.

Alya put down her camera, worry etched on her face. "Hey, what happened?"

Marinette yanked her arm. "No time to explain! We gotta go-"

"HEY, WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE KIDS? YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!"

The four friends blanched, and they ran.

As they ran, Marinette had a haunting thought. "Adrien, what are they gonna do if they can't find us? There are too many people here and the police probably aren't gonna show up for another few minutes. What if someone else gets hurt?"

Adrien's face hardened. "We'd better go back, then."

Alya's face whipped to them. "You are _not_ going back there! He had a freaking _club_ , girl, if you get hurt I don't know _what_ I'd do!"

Marinette's eyes glazed over. "I'm sorry guys," was her only comment before she yanked Alya and Nino in an empty cage, slammed the door, and ran.

Adrien could only grin sheepishly at a hysterical Alya before running after her.

-o-

When he finally caught up to her, she was rummaging in the bag while running as fast as she could. "They've got clubs and sticks, so our fists will only do so much. Here-" she said, tossing him a metal cylinder, "-this'll help. I can't work with staffs very well compared to you, so I'm gonna see if there's anything else-"

"HEY, _THERE_ THEY ARE! LET'S GO GET 'EM!"

Adrien had very limited time to open the cylinder to reveal a shining silver staff. Quickly, he parried the oncoming attacks from the staff-wielding teen, all the while chanting quick taunts to the other.

 _Oh God, he's giving me a small window of time, I have to hurry!_ Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she desperately checked the pockets, praying for something to help her.

Adrien wasn't doing too bad. He managed to finally knock the staff to the ground and quickly punched the older teen in the gut, leaving him heaving. Before he could recover from the quick-paced fight, however, the air around him rushed into his ears. He whipped around his head only to see the wooden club inches from his face-

-and then stopping. Refocusing his eyes, he realized that there was a red yoyo wrapped around the club. Following the thin string, he saw Marinette, wide eyed, clutching onto the yoyo string. Wasting no time, he quickly backed away and promptly kicked the other teen in the groin. The teen doubled over, groaning.

With both teens pretty much immobile, it didn't take much for Marinette to tie their hands together with her yoyo string before the police came. Satisfied, she stood up.

Suddenly, Marinette's eyes widened as she finally registered the scene in front of her. "We...we did it!" She pulled Adrien into a tight hug, relief and happiness coursing through her system.

Adrien relaxed, his face red, and pulled away, only to hold out his fist. She complied.

"Pound it!"

-o-

When they ran back to the cage Nino and Alya were in, they found them in a very... _suggestive_ position. Marinette laughed out loud while Adrien made a low whistle.

The other two teens jumped apart, blushing furiously.

" _Nino's like a brother to me,_ my ass."

Alya glared at her friend, cheeks red. Meanwhile, Adrien was hugging Nino tight, clearly displaying his inner fangirl. "Aww, bro, I'm so proud of you! It's taken you forever!"

Nino, clearly uncomfortable, only nodded.

Marinette brightened. "Hey, to celebrate, how about chocolate croissants and macarons? My treat!"

The others cheered, and together, they raced off to Marinette's house.

Marinette's House, 7:00 PM, Saturday

"Ahh, Mari, your mom's food is the best."

Alya slouched on the couch, rubbing her stomach contentedly. "Seriously, girl, how does your mom do it?"

Suddenly, her phone chimed repeatedly, almost falling off the table. Quickly, the redhead caught it before unlocking her screen. She almost promptly squealed with joy.

"Ohmigosh! Mari! I posted the video of you guys on the blog, and it's pretty much gone viral!"

Mari peered at the screen and blanched. _100,000 views?!_

Nino grinned, throwing an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "Dude, you guys are famous now!"

Alya looked back at the screen. "See, everyone's raving about you guys! They're calling you Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

"Chat Noir?" Adrien walked over to the couch. "Hey, I kinda like that!"

Alya blinked, and she suddenly glared at Marinette, abruptly remembering all of the things they had slighted in wake of her and Nino's new relationship.

"You! You locked me in a cage with Nino and went off to fight those...those _delinquents_ and you expect me to just blow this off?!"

Marinette grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, well…I mean, we did end up beating them up and we got you two together, so...forgiven?"

Alya's glare softened. "Yeah, true...wait, what'd you say?"

Adrien's eyes widened, catching her mistake. "W-what she means is, you guys got together, so yeah?"

Alya surveyed over their (clearly guilty) faces. "Aha! You guys tried to match us together! Giiirl, why didn't you tell me?" She glared playfully at them while Nino matched with an amused "Yeah, not cool, dude."

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other before shrugging slightly. _Why not?_

"Well, you asked for it…"

Adrien, grinning, pulled out his chart paper and Marinette grabbed a pencil.

"We'll show you…"

MISSION ONE COMPLETE

* * *

 **A/N: haaaaah. That took so long and is going in so many different directions than I had originally planned. Oh well. :/**

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 **RainbowsandButterflies888**


	3. Mission 2: Kim and Alix, Part 1

**Week 2**

Marinette's House, 7:00 PM, Sunday

"Whaaaaat."

Three pairs of incredulous eyes turned to stare at the blonde, who shrugged. "What? I thought they'd be cute!"

Alya shook her head. "No, we said that because we're surprised that we didn't think of that in the first place."

Alya, Nino and Adrien were sitting in Marinette's room, relaxing, when Adrien suddenly realized that it was time to start the next "mission", as he had eloquently named it.

Alya and Nino were both very excited, it being their first mission. Marinette was slightly less so, although she was still excited to bring her two friends together.

He was met with varying levels of enthusiasm. For Alya and Nino, this was their first matchmaking case, so they were plenty excited. Meanwhile, Marinette regarded the ordeal with slightly less enthusiasm, not being as close to Kim and Alix compared to Nino and Alya.

Adrien grinned, opening up his chart paper to gesture wildly at the contents inside. "Alright, well, last time trying to get you guys together during school definitely didn't work, so let's see-"

Alya's phone chimed, and while Adrien was a bit miffed for being interrupted, gauging Alya's face, it was something important.

"Mari. Turn on the TV right now."

Marinette complied, looking at Alya strangely.

Alya quickly flipped through the channels before finally stopping at the news channel. She turned up the volume.

"-and two vigilante teens, whom the Internet has dubbed 'Ladybug and Chat Noir', have successfully caught two criminals from the infamous crime group Akuma. What do you think these two teens will do next?"

"I'm not sure, Nadja! Let's play the clip to see more."

Alya wrinkled her eyebrows. "You guys locked me in the cage, so it can't be my stuff."

The clip started playing shakily (Alya cringed), and it showed two slightly blurry figures, one yanking a string connected to a club while the other parried someone with a staff. Marinette recognized that moment immediately-it was the moment she saved Adrien from being clubbed by one of the goons. She had felt useless up to that moment.

The clip played on for a moment, before finally ending once the red figure tied something around the unconscious teens. The two figures embraced quickly before racing off. The newscast played on, but it was swiftly ignored as Alya turned to waggle her eyebrows at her best friend.

"Mari _nette_! You sly flirt~"

Both teens blushed, but Marinette quickly got over her embarrassment to gawk back at the screen. "People were _filming_ us?! Oh my god, we're on _national television_!"

Nino's eyes widened. "Oh man, what's gonna happen when you guys'll back to school?"

Adrien gestured to the chart paper. "Speaking of school…"

Collège Françoise-Dupont, 7:30 AM, Monday

The four friends arrived at the school, laughing and talking. Adrien was still wearing the cat sweatshirt over his clothing, while Marinette had an adorable ladybug-patterned cardigan over her clothes. Both had their bandanas tied around their wrists. The wind passed through them, giving Marinette a slight chill.

"Brr...Maybe I should consider making a ladybug sweatshirt for myself, then…"

Adrien laughed and wrapped an arm around his petite friend. "Here, I'll keep you warm, bugaboo~"

Alya groaned. "Get a room, you guys."

Marinette stared at her, incredulous. " _Us_ get a room? Don't pretend like we all didn't hear you two making out in the bathroom last night."  
Nino's ears turned bright red.

Alya waved an arm. "Whatever ya say~" Her calm demeanor didn't hide the slight flush in her cheeks.

Nino gestured wildly, eager to change the subject. "Oh, look, we're here, better get started on our plan, am I right?"

Looking at the clear embarrassment written all over the poor boy's face, Marinette ultimately decided to spare him a little bit of the mortification. Before she could open her mouth, however, Alix hollered across the courtyard to the four.

"HEY GUYS! ALYA, CONGRATS ON YOUR BLOG POST!"

This effectively brought most of the class around the four as Alix raced over to them. "Guys, did you see? The thing on television? Al, your blog post made those two so famous that they probably can't even going anywhere without being recog-"

Her loud dialogue was suddenly cut off as she noticed the bandanas wrapped around both Adrien's and Marinette's wrists.

"That's the bandanas they…"

Looking up, Marinette watched Alix's blue eyes analyze them. Her eyes surveyed her brilliant blue eyes and blue hair, and swept over Adrien's clear green eyes and cat sweatshirt.

"Oh my _god_ …You guys are _LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR_?!"

Now, if there was anyone that wasn't curious from Alix's earlier cry, they certainly were now.

Everyone immediately crowded around, shouting explanations and questions. Marinette was nearly crushed in the din, having to press herself to her friends to avoid being suffocated. A loud, nasally voice rang through the air.

"Uh, no way. Marinette as Ladybug? Pathetic."

Marinette groaned. _Seriously?..._

Chloé Bourgeois strutted into the crowd, her icy blue eyes sparkling maliciously. Her "friend" Sabrina stumbled behind her, clutching a pile of books that were toppling dangerously.

Adrien glared at her. "Uh, Marinette is more than capable of being Ladybug, thank you very much. Did _your_ dad give you police training?"

Marinette paled as she realized that Adrien had basically given her away. Her other classmates stared at her with interest, and she slouched slightly, choosing to hide behind her friends.

"Please don't say anything…" Her plea came out more as a quiet whimper.

"Ha! Why would I do that? No one would believe me!"

"Chloé…"

"But Adri _kiiiiins…_ "

"Look, I don't know what kind of animosity is between you and Mari, but as both of your friends, I'm telling you to kindly stop."

Chloé's eyes flashed with hurt before narrowing. "Fine, we'll just have to wait and watch. Then you'll see how pathetic she really is."

Adrien turned to Marinette, only to see her looking very small, her eyes downcast.

"Maybe Chloé's right. Maybe I shouldn't be Ladybug…"

Alya grabbed her shoulders. "M- _Mari!_ That's not true and you know it!"

She looked up sadly, her eyes dulled. "But you remember!..I didn't do almost anything on Saturday. You guys all saw the footage," she frantically gestured to the crowd. "I barely did _anything._ All I was doing was rummaging through a bag. Adrien- _Chat Noir_ \- did all of the work."

Adrien grabbed her wrist, his eyes flashing. " _Don't_ say that. You saved me from being clobbered by that Akuma dude, remember?"

She looked to the side. "Yes, but-"

Adrien put a finger over her lips. "Stop. If it weren't for you, I'd be in the hospital right now, and who knows how many more people would have gotten hurt."

All of Marinette's classmates, save for Chloe, nodded their heads in agreement.

The bluenette sighed in resignation. " _Fine..._ you're right. I guess I am cut out to be Ladybug, at least a little. Thanks, Kitty."

At the pet name, Adrien brightened a little. They both grinned at each other.

"Look, guys, love the romantic atmosphere and all, but we're gonna be late for class if you all don't move your butts inside." Alix grinned at the two teens.

Both Marinette and Adrien blushed. Alya giggled slightly and tugged her friend inside.

Adrien's House, 8:00 PM, Monday

Alya and Nino were surprisingly energetic.

...well, at least from what Adrien could see on his phone.

Gabriel had returned from his work trip, which meant that Adrien once again had many modeling gigs and publicity events to attend. Still dressed in his suit, he had collapsed onto his couch and promptly Skyped Marinette.

To his surprise and jealousy, Alya and Nino were the ones to show up on screen.

" _Heeey, Adrien! How ya doin', dude?"_

" _Mari never told me you had a photo shoot today. Girl, why'd you not tell us?"_

Adrien heard Marinette's voice faintly ringing through the room. " _I didn't know! Gabriel must have come home early."_

Grinning at Marinette's perceptiveness, Adrien retorted, "You guys still haven't told me why you all know my schedule."

Alya grinned. " _Duh, you're a busy guy and we're social people. We gotta know when you're not busy so we can hang out."_

There was a slight pause and scuffle as Marinette squeezed between the two. " _Alright, alright, enough chit-chat. I can guess why you're here. Phase 1 failed today, didn't it?"_

Nino and Alya's demeanors changed quickly into disappointment. " _Dude, you never told me it was this hard to get these guys together. I mean, how oblivious can you be?"_

Marinette and Adrien shared a look through the screen.

"...yeah, okay. Anyone have a plan B?"

Collège Françoise-Dupont, 1:30 PM, Tuesday

"Hey, Marinette?"

Marinette looked over at her partner. Ms. Mendeleiev had paired the kids up for a science lab, and Marinette had gotten Kim as her partner.

"Yeah, what is it?"

Kim looked uncharacteristically shy. "...Marinette, do you know how to confess to someone?"

On the inside, fangirl Marinette screamed with joy. On the outside, however, she remained a cool, friendly (slightly flustered) demeanor.

"No, but I can probably help! What's the problem?"

Kim looked to the side. "Well, there's this girl. She's beautiful and kind, and I want to treat her like a queen. I really like her…but I don't know how to tell her! Please," he grabbed her hands in distress. "Help me, Mari!"

Seeing the look of pure desperation on his face (and the fact that Plan B was going _much_ faster than normal), Marinette nodded. "Sure! Alright. The first thing you need to know about us girls is that for the most case, we love getting flowers…"

Adrien's House, 6:30 PM, Tuesday

"No _freaking way._ "

Nino's shocked voice cut through the silence.

Marinette nodded excitedly. "I know, right? When he asked me, I was so surprised I nearly screamed!"

Alya bounced in her seat. "Oh man, that means Plan B is working, like, ten times faster than usual!"

Adrien, on the other hand, was skeptical. "Something doesn't sit right here, guys. If it was Alix, why would he want to treat her like a queen? Alix and Kim are best friends, and anyone who knows Alix remotely well knows that she hates being treated like a princess."

Nino stopped, looking skeptical as well. "Adrien might be onto something here…"

Alya groaned and pulled her boyfriend over to her. "Aw, since when have you ever been the sourpuss? C'mon, loosen up and let us celebrate a little, will ya?"

Marinette looked over to Adrien, who was still deep in thought. _Maybe Adrien's right…What if I messed everything up? Kim..._

Alya noticed her sudden defeated look. "Mari, don't worry. I'm sure you made the right choice."

The bluenette slouched.

The reporter put a reassuring arm on her back. "Geez, girl, stop worrying. Everything's gonna be perfectly okay."

Collège Françoise-Dupont, 8:30 AM, Wednesday

No, everything was _not_ okay.

All four friends gaped at Kim, who was looking quite cleaned up, with his button-down and khakis.

That wasn't the real reason they were staring, though.

Kim was kneeling down in front of _Chloe!_ and holding a bouquet of roses.

Marinette looked depressed to the point of crying. "I knew this was a bad idea…"

Adrien wrapped a comforting arm around his friend. "It's okay, you didn't know…"

Alya grabbed their shoulders. "Guys. _Look._ "

From where they were standing, Chloe appeared to laugh before throwing the roses to the ground. Kim visibly looked heartbroken, and his whole body drooped. Chloe appeared to give a final retort before sashaying away.

"Kim!" Marinette ran up to the boy.

He looked up, his hurt eyes glaring at her. "You said she would accept."

Marinette tried to suppress the feeling of helplessness rising back into her throat. "Yes, but I didn't know _Chloe_ was the person you liked."

Kim looked away. "I guess you're right. Well, at least now I know how much of a jerk Chloe is."

Before Adrien could respond, a pink-haired girl whizzed by, halting to a stop once she reached Kim.

"KIM! Are you okay?"

Alix looked from the broken flowers, to Kim's suit, to the obvious heartbreak written on his face.

"Alright, who was it."

Kim pointed to a yellow dot in the distance, and Alix's eyes immediately narrowed.

"That little b...I'll show her-"

Kim grabbed her arm. "Wait! Alix, you know she's gonna turn against you. You could be sent to the principal's-or worse, expelled."

Alix huffed. "Fine. I don't understand what you saw in her, anyways."

Kim groaned.

"Hey." Alix held out a hand for Kim to grasp. "C'mon, let's get to class. We can get ice cream after school, 'kay?"

Kim stared at her for a second, before nodding. "Yeah...betcha can't get there before I can!"

Alix grinned. "You're on!"

As the two raced away, Marinette, still shell-shocked, stared after them.

Alya waved a hand over her face. "Girl? Girl, are you okay?"

Marinette stared back at the couple slowly fading away, her eyes glazing over. "Oh my god, it actually worked…"

Nino snorted. "Oh man, are you actually crying?"

Both Marinette and Alya looked over to the blonde, who was visibly crying. "It's so beautiful…"

Marinette slapped her forehead while Alya threw her head back in laughter.

"You little dork…"

Collège Françoise-Dupont, 10:00 AM, Thursday

Marinette cheered quietly when the bell finally rang for recess. Ms. Bustier hadn't been there that day, and the substitute teacher was _really_ annoying. Plus, the mission still hadn't made any progress except for yesterday.

She noted the crowd forming near the bench, so she quickly hurried over. Once she was close enough, she saw Alix in the middle, clutching a small, broken gold watch and hunching over in tears.

Chloe stood over her, a triumphant smirk on her face. "Should have known commoner's watches broke faster."

Adrien appeared next to the bluenette. "Mari, what ha-Oh my god. Let me deal with Chloe."

He marched up to the blonde and quickly grabbed her by the sleeve, pulling her away. Marinette could hear the boy berating her loudly.

Tentatively, she headed over to the pink-haired girl, whose shoulders were still shaking violently with sobs.

"Hey, Alix…?"

Alix looked up, her eyes red-rimmed and still glazed with tears. "...Mari, she _stomped_ on this. She _freaking stomped on it._ Mari, this...my dad gave it to me! It's a family heirloom- _oh my god,_ Papa's gonna _murder_ me if he finds out-" The small girl made a strangled noise, before shuddering violently again, the tears spilling out of her eyes.

Marinette tentatively put a hand on her back, sympathy pooling in her stomach. "I'm so sorry Alix…"

Kim ran up, panting slightly from overexertion. "Alix! I heard about it! I'm so sorry-"

He scooped her up into his arms as the girl's shoulders began shaking again.

"K-Kim...first me, then you...What does that girl even want from us anyways? Why does she have to be such a...I don't even know anymore."

Kim's arms wrapped a little tighter around the petite girl. "Alix, I have no idea…"

Feeling out of place in the tender moment, Marinette slipped away.

Marinette's House, 4:30, Thursday

"Okay, _now_ can I say how excited I am?!"

Adrien laughed next to the excited bluenette. "Yes, Mari, we have all heard a million times how happy you are at how close they got, it's not like we forgot."

Marinette simply stuck out her tongue.

Alya laughed as she leaned on Nino's shoulder, the latter threading his fingers through her hair.

Suddenly her phone chimed.

"Mari? Adrien? This isn't good."

The four crowded around the phone, only to see a choppy, chaotic livestream of Paris's citizens screaming as a large truck swerved back and forth on the street. The truck was heading straight for the parliament building.

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks so much for the follows and favorites, guys! Sorry this chapter was so delayed, it's finals month and everything is complete chaos at school, not to mention the fact that I'm pretty invested in the arts and it's that time of year.**

 **Also, shoutout to Anhilare for being my beta! They've been super helpful in spellchecking this and everything, so kudos to them!**

 **DFTBA! See ya in part 2!**

 **RainbowsandButterflies888**


	4. Mission 2: Kim and Alix, Part 2

**Part Two**

Central Paris, 4:45, Thursday

The two darted to the scene, barely bothering to throw a sweatshirt on as they tugged the bandanas around their mouths.

Marinette's phone buzzed. As she ran, she tugged the earphones out of her pocket as she answered the call.

"Marinette!" It was Alya, sounding shakier than normal. "I'm watching the stream right now. The phone doesn't seem to be getting good reception, but from what I can tell is that the truck-oh, it stopped, it...CRASHED?! Oh crap, there's fire everywhere—"

Marinette looked up to see smoke billowing out in the distance. _Shoot._

"'Kay, Al, we're approaching the scene. Call me if anything else comes up."

As she ended the call, Adrien tossed the brass knuckles to her. "Here ya go."

She smiled back gratefully and strapped them on. "Here we go," she muttered as she grabbed her new yoyo.

The truck's toppled form revealed at least ten grunts, all barely dazed and every one holding a wooden club.

Marinette nearly turned and left right then and there, but, remembering the panicked screams of the civilians, she forced herself to stay.

"Ready to kick some ass?" Adrien gripped the metal staff tightly as he surveyed the chaos.

Marinette grinned. "Is that a challenge?"

However, before they could start, she noticed a familiar shock of red-brown hair among the panicked civilians. "Wait a minute. Alya?!"

Adrien's head whipped over to where the girl was pointing. "Oh _merde_ , what are they doing here?"

Groaning, he darted over to where they were. "Nino, what are you doing here?"

Alya turned from where she was standing. "Adrien! Thank goodness—"

"Alya! Why are you here? Did you follow us?! You could get seriously hurt! You'd better not have a camera..." Marinette glared at her best friends. Alya blushed, before glaring back at her best friend.

"That's not important. Look at what's going on! Mari, there's only two of you and ten of them. Who knows what could happen?!"

"Al, we'll be fine—" The two sweatshirt-clad vigilantes attempted to push their friends away from the scene, but they wouldn't budge. "We're not moving until you let us help."  
Marinette rubbed her temples. "Fine. Since you guys can't really help us beat the Akuma men, why don't you help with crowd control? These civilians are only going to get hurt if they stay in this chaos."

Alya sighed but agreed. "Fine, but Mari, you owe us."

She grinned thankfully and ran off. Adrien saluted the two before heading in a different direction, intent on intercepting the crooks.

-o-

"The men seem to be heading towards the square," Marinette said into her walkie-talkie as she trailed the Akuma thugs.

On another street, the blonde raced past panicked Parisians and various scenes of chaos. "I'm already on the other side. We'll cut them off at the center?"

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, let's—"

Her voice cut off in a strangled gasp as she saw an unconscious Kim and a beaten Alix being approached by two men with clubs. Marinette's voice hardened over the walkie talkie. "Change of plans, Adrien. You remember that flower stand? The one we used to always go to?"

Adrien picked up on her sudden sharpness. "Yeah, what—"

"Get there as soon as possible. I'll hold them off while I still can."

"Mari, what—"

The connection fell silent.

Adrien cursed quietly under his breath and ran faster.

-o-

Meanwhile, Marinette raced up to the men, swinging her yoyo. "Hey, Akuma!" With that, she maneuvered the string, catching it on one of the men's clubs.

"Stay—" she threw the club at one of the men, hitting him hard on the forehead and knocking him out.

"—away—" the other man put up more of a fight, swinging blindly at the red-clad girl, who narrowly dodged the club.

"—from my…" with his free hand, the man punched the girl in her gut, knocking the wind out of her. Marinette tumbled to the ground, wincing as she held her stomach. However, upon watching Alix try to help an unconscious Kim up, anger coursed through her veins. Adrenaline ran through her system and she swung her yoyo, the club still attached to the string.

"—FRIENDS!" Marinette nearly flinched from the second voice accompanying her own, yet swung violently at the Akuma. The club hit his knee, making him stumble, and a metal staff hit his stomach, making him double over, retching.

Breathing hard, she turned around, only to see Adrien behind her with an almost murderous look on his face. "Adrien?"

He blinked, and concern immediately flooded over his face. "Marinette!"

The blonde made a move to hug the girl, but when he squeezed her slightly, she winced.

Immediately, he broke away from her. "Mari! Your stomach-I saw—"

She smiled, but her grin was pained. "It's fine, it'll be okay-" a flash of pain shot through her stomach, and she grimaced.

Adrien frowned. "No, you're not. The police just arrived, I saw them round up the rest of the gang. You need to rest."

Marinette made a move to protest, but instead of arguing back, Adrien simply picked the girl up, bridal style.

"A-Adrien! W-what are you—"  
"Making sure you don't keep getting hurt," he said, but the light flush on his cheeks said otherwise.

"B-but, Kim-and Alix—"

"—Are being taken care of. The ambulance just took Kim to the emergency care unit, and Alix is being treated for her wounds at the hospital."

Marinette paled. "Are they okay?"

Adrien nodded solemnly. "They'll be fine eventually. It's a good thing that you came when you did, or they'd probably be a lot worse."  
He tilted his head closer to hers. "Are _you_ okay? That was a serious hit he landed on you."

Marinette, flustered from how close their faces were, chuckled nervously, only to cringe at the sudden pain in her diaphragm.

Adrien stared at her intensely. "It sounds bad. Let's get you home as soon as possible."

He started walking towards her house. They had almost made it when suddenly loud cries erupted from nearby. A loud "HEY! GET BACK HERE!" made Adrien turn, only to be nearly run over by a large man in an Akuma suit. Both vaguely remembered it to be the same one that had hit her in the gut.

His green eyes hardened. Gently, he lowered Marinette on the ground and made her lean against a wall before pulling his staff out of his pocket. "Stay here, Mari. I've got this."

Marinette let out a cry of protest, only to be silenced by a jolt of pain from her stomach. As Adrien ran off, she gingerly rolled up the bottom of her shirt to examine the area. It looked mostly okay, with only an ugly purple bruise forming in the area where she was hit.

The bluenette sighed, grabbed her yoyo, and slowly stood up, carefully attempting not to strain the bruised muscles.

 _Adrien...I'll show you that I'm not as useless as everyone thinks._

-o-

Adrien darted after the man, the stamina built up from his fencing lessons put to good use. The other man, seeing that he was being chased, took a sudden sharp turn and raced up an emergency escape ladder.

Adrien chased after him with fury, climbing up the ladder so quickly that it was a wonder he didn't fall off. He chased him across the rooftops, leaping and rolling over chimneys and balconies. They ran around in a wide circle, eventually ending up around the same area as before.

Finally, the blonde had the man cornered. The man made one last leap over a particularly large gap between the houses, and succeeded, only to be stopped suddenly by a horde of police officers.

Adrien, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The jump proved to be too large for him, and he fell rapidly towards the ground. He cringed, tucking himself into his knees, _praying_ to not end up as a blood spatter on the pavement—

Suddenly, a hard and painful yank left him dangling just a few inches off of the ground. He looked down (or, rather, up) to see what had caught him.

The string, hanging from a lamppost, dangled Adrien like a pulley making sure he didn't hit the ground. Marinette, on the other side of the string, was panting loudly. She jerked suddenly, and her grip on the string slackened, causing Adrien to tumble to the ground. He recovered quickly and ran to her.

"Mari! Are you okay?"

The girl closed her eyes, which were watering from the pain. "It's fine, I just had to run here, is all, so my stomach hurts a bit."

Adrien opened his mouth, possibly to protest, only to be stopped by Marinette's finger on his nose. "And before you start talking, let me remind you that I just saved your life."

He closed his mouth, before smiling gratefully. "Thanks a lot, Mari."

She grinned, before suddenly jolting again, this time from shock. "Wait! Adrien, where's Alya and Nino?"

Adrien blanched. "Crap," he muttered under his breath. Frantically, he called Nino, who picked up on the first ring.

"Dude, where were you? Alya and I were so worried!"

Adrien paused, guilty. He had forgotten how concerned his friends must have been, worried sick for their friends' safety.

"...Where are you guys right now?"

"Back at the square. But Adrien, what—"

"We'll tell you when we actually see you. We're pretty close, so expect us in a few minutes."

WIth that, he ended the call.

-o-

When he and Marinette limped over, they saw their friends hurriedly pacing around the square. Alya was aggressively and quickly tapping on her phone, so distracted that she didn't realize what was happening until Marinette called her name.

"Alya!"

Alya's head whipped around before she practically dropped her phone to run over to her best friend. Nino followed shortly afterward, looking shocked and slightly pissed.

"Adrien! You called me and then didn't tell me anything? Jeez, you guys are crazy!"

Adrien smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, dude."

Meanwhile, Alya was throwing her arms around her friend. "Marinette! I'm so glad you're okay-wait, what happened to your stomach?"

Marinette winced, while Adrien's arm tightened around her waist. "She was hit by one of those guys. It got her pretty dead-on."

Alya glared at the girl, about to chastise her for how close she was to being seriously injured, before her phone chimed again. Staring at her friend with a look that said _we'll talk about this later_ , she opened her phone, quickly skimming through whatever she had been sent. Suddenly, she burst into laughter.

"Oh...my god...that's...That explains so much!"

From behind, Nino looked over Alya's shoulder and started guffawing as well. "Duuude, these tabloids will do anything to get readers!"

Adrien grabbed the phone. "Hey, lemme see that. 'Chat Noir seen carrying Ladybug with hand on stomach...Ladybug _PREGNANT_ with _Chat Noir's BABY_ '?!"

The aforementioned teens flushed bright red. Marinette looked indignant even as she was trying to suppress the blush spreading to her ears. "It says here that they have a _personal interview with Ladybug herself_?! Uh, HELL NO." "We're only sixteen!" Adrien babbled at the same time.

Alya and Nino's laughter got even louder watching the two flustered teens gawk at the tabloid article. Alya in particular, who was wiping the tears of laughter from her face.

Marinette threw the phone back at Alya and pouted. "Yeah, whatever. Changing the subject...let's just go back to my place."

With that, she and Adrien limped back to her place in dignity, leaving the other laughing teens behind.

Marinette's House, 5:30, Thursday

As soon as Marinette walked through the doorway of the bakery, she was immediately smothered by her parents.

"Marinette! Are you alright?"

Marinette nervously checked her wrist to make sure her bandana was around it. When she was sure it was, she looked back at her parents. "Y-yeah? Why wouldn't I be?"  
"We saw the news! That nasty Akuma guy that punched you—"

"Wait, wait, wait. You _knew?!_ "

Sabine and Tom looked questioningly at their daughter. "Of course we knew! It's not hard to recognize your own daughter."

Secretly, Marinette considered concealing her identity a little better.

Marinette gazed to the side awkwardly. "Well, ya know, saving lives and stuff, someone's gotta do it I guess..."

Tom's gaze suddenly sharpened. "Speaking of which, Marinette, I understand your need to help people, but this is extremely dangerous. Are you sure you want to—"

"Papa! How are you even asking this question? Of course I have to be Ladybug! So many people are getting hurt and I can't just let that stand by! I wouldn't just _stop_ now!"

Shocked at his daughter's uncharacteristic outburst, Tom fell silent for a moment, before a small smile broke over his face. "Still got your mother's spirit, I see."

He and Sabine exchanged a look.

"How about this. You can keep being Ladybug—" Marinette brightened considerably at that. "—but you'll both need to take some self-defense lessons with your mother every Sunday afternoon. On top of that, you need to put two more hours in the bakery per week."

Marinette looked questioningly at her parents. "What do you mean? I don't mind putting in a couple of extra hours into the bakery, but why the self-defense? Adrien and I already know how to defend ourselves."

Sabine spoke up. "Well, yes, we know that, but we'd like you to learn a bit more than just with weapons. After all, there _will_ be situations where you don't have access to weapons," at that she gave a slight glare, "and you're going to have to defend yourselves. Remember that hit you took earlier?"

Marinette winced and protectively put a hand over her stomach.

"Tom? Can you help demonstrate?"

The large man got up, grinning and grabbing a rolling pin. Marinette paled. "Mom, what-"

Tom rushed towards the older woman, clearly aiming for Sabine's stomach. Before the teens had any time to react, Sabine swiftly grabbed the other end of the rolling pin forwards, yanked it out of the man's hands, and quickly judo-flipped him onto the ground.

" _That's_ what I'll teach you."

All four teens stared at the Chinese lady in shock. Marinette was the quickest to recover and immediately knelt on the ground. "Papa!"

Tom Dupain laughed slightly on the ground. "Don't worry, _coccinelle_. Your mother has done this so many times, I nearly lost count."

Marinette stared at her mother, shocked. " _Maman_!"

Her mom smiled sheepishly. "What can I say? Your father was a quite boisterous young man."

Marinette opened her mouth, only to close it again. She had never heard that information before, and it was slightly worrying that she barely knew anything about her parents.

Sighing, she pushed the information into the back of her mind.

"Alright. We start this Saturday?"

Sabine nodded, smiling. "Absolutely! Now, there's cake and cookies in your room. I trust you'll probably eat them all quickly enough. Go! Shoo! Go relax a bit!" Sabine made a little shooing motion with her hands.

Adrien and Marinette grinned and took a step towards the stairs.

"Wait!"

The two teens turned around, and the two adults turned to the sound of the voices.

Alya and Nino stood there, still looking shocked at their own exclamation.

"We...we want to join the martial arts classes too!"

Sabine looked at them with a strange, almost proud look. "Why would you want to join? I'm sure you could hang out with Marinette and Adrien some other time…"

Nino looked to the side. "I don't know about Alya, but I know that today was probably the most stressful day of my life. It wasn't even because we were running around filming. It was just…watching you guys getting hurt and fighting baddies was so worrying. And the thought that we couldn't do a thing…"

Alya nodded fervently. "E-even though we'll probably never get to your daughter's level, we'd still like to learn! Please, Mrs. Cheng!"

Sabine stared at them for a short moment, before smiling. "Of course you can join! I was hoping you would! And for the last time, call me Sabine."

All four teens turned to each other, still slightly shocked, but fully elated at the new turn of events.

Marinette grinned. _I can't wait to start lessons on Saturday!_

Collège Françoise-Dupont, 8:30 AM, Friday

"Marinette!"

An excited Alix was tugging a slightly less enthusiastic Kim to Adrien and Marinette, upon arriving at school. Marinette noticed the cast on Kim's arm and the bandages wrapped around Alix's leg. Once they reached them, Alix let go of Kim's hand and cheerfully grabbed Marinette for a quick hug.

"I never got to thank you properly for saving us back there! I don't know what would have happened if you weren't there…"

Marinette grinned and returned the embrace. "No problem Alix!"

Kim turned to Adrien, starstruck. "And you! I didn't know you were so skilled with that baton of yours!"

Adrien chuckled. "It's really more of a staff, but thanks! All that fencing certainly paid off somehow…"

The two boys chattered on aimlessly, Kim motivated by Adrien's skill and Adrien simply gloating from all the praise (after all, he was still a teenage guy). Meanwhile, Marinette, upon noticing Kim and Adrien's absence, leaned closer to Alix. "So...Kim, huh?"

Alix blushed, the color shocking against her bright pink bangs. "W-well, we haven't really become official, but...ya better not tell anyone, okay?!"

Marinette squealed. Quietly, obviously, but no one could deny the look of absolute joy that had streaked across her face. "Congratulations! I knew you two would get together!"

Alix looked at her strangely. "Funny, I...never mind. _I swore that you..._ ah. Wanna teach me some of those tricks you know with your yoyo?"

The bluenette sighed, thankful she didn't pry. "Sure! Lemme just get it out of my bag…"

MISSION TWO COMPLETE

* * *

 **A/N: Wow. As if that didn't take forever. Sorry this took so long...but you all should be used to my terrible updating schedule** **.** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **On another note, 29 favorites and 49 followers?! Thank you all so much for supporting this au! I'll try not to disappoint!**

 **Thanks to my amazing beta Anhilare for reviewing this chapter! Y'all should go and check out his stuff, they're great!**

 **Feel free to PM me with questions you might have for the plot. I'll try answering accordingly.**

 **DFTBA!**

 **RainbowsandButterflies888 (Raibo)**


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